Okay, here's the deal. Try an exercise with me for a second. Think Sean Connery. Just get a picture of him in your mind. Now, out loud, describe the picture. How does he look? Don't matter if you're seeing the Bond-Connery, or the Red October-Connery, or the Untouchables-Connery. Say out loud what you see.
Male or female, I'd throw a Junior Mint bet that one or more of the following words popped in your skull: Cool. Suave. Slick. Dashing. Double or nothing that the word "cool" was the one of the first things you said.
Hey, hands down, Sean Connery is one forevermore cool guy. He just has the way about him, no doubt from living the Bond Mystique for as long as he did, and not giving in to the Roger Moore curse of becoming a joke. Beyond all that, though, is that Connery cool look. I have three immediate flashes of Connery when I hear his name. One, the obvious one, is him as ol' Jimmy Bond, sitting at the baccarat table, lighting an English Oval, and saying, "Bond. James Bond." The second is Sean pulling that sawed-off shotgun on some random hitman in The Untouchables, and smiling as he tells him it's not wise, "...bringing a knife to a gunfight." The third picture may kind of take you aback, but, personally, I thought he was dang swashbuckling in Highlander. Especially in that red outfit and ponytail. Gallop on, Sean!
It goes without saying that the man is still a popular force in the movie world. What's remarkable, though, is that he can still hold his own in an action movie. I mean, hey, the guy is 68 years old. My daddy was making a grunting chair-rising noise when he was 45. I can't see Sean making that noise. And, here in 1999, he's still playing in very familiar ground. His new movie, Entrapment, just opened, and, while it'll pose no real threat to the Summer of George, it is a pretty slick little caper movie, and proves once again that Connery is still the coolest dude this side of a meat locker. A little more silvery, but still the coolest....
The plot, such as it is, puts Sean in the role of master cat-burglar Robert MacDougal. Along comes Catherine Zeta-Jones (The Mask of Zorro) as Gin Baker, an insurance investigator who's convinced that ol' Sean has made off with a Rembrandt masterpiece insured by her company. Rather than pay the settlement, apparently, Catherine decides to go undercover, act as his partner, set him up, and snag him. If I tell any more than this, I'd be guilty of throwing spoilers, and that's not nice.
It'd be easy to just say that Sean does his "suave Bond" thing, and let it go at that, but, for a change of sorts, he actually grants us some emotional depth, and it makes the character a little better than the script itself allows him to be. And the director, Jon Amiel (The Man Who Knew Too Little), also has the good sense to let Connery do what Connery does best, namely, be a hero. There are some VERY stylish theft scenes, all high-tech and dangerous and thrill seeking, of course. What, you think Sean is going to stick up a liquor store? NO, no, fellow babies, if there's Sean, there's gadgets. Laser beams, ropes, pulleys, all the good stuff.
Two words about Catherine Zeta-Jones: HURT ME. This woman is just -- let's put it this way -- I'd pay money to watch her read a paperback. Okay? It only makes everything better that she can act, and hold her own with a force like Connery. (And I hear she can sing and dance too!) I'd assume at one time there was thought of throwing Random Hot Babe of the Month into this role, and let Sean just dominate the screen. By adding Zeta-Jones instead, we get a mix of sultry and smoke that makes for some interesting chemistry on the screen. I also commend whoever chose her wardrobe, by the way. There's a scene, guys, where Catherine is slithering under a high-security laser beam...and well...let's just say my alarm was triggered.
One thought, though. Some are making a big hoo-haw about the old guy-young girl thing here. Sure, Connery is 68, and sure, Zeta-Jones is 29. And, yes, Zeta-Jones is very sexually aggressive in this movie, trying to seduce a much older man. Lemme ask you a question, ladies in the crowd. If you had the chance, by some quirk of fate, would you or would you not give it the old college try for Sean Connery, even if he pusing 70? Well, I took an informal poll around the clinic, asking two nurses and three patients -- all female -- and got a resounding "you betcha" from the entire collection. Seems that no matter how old, our man Connery can still light some tobacco.
Also in the cast is Ving Rhames, who seems to be building a nice little name for himself playing against type in these high-tech thrillers. He's a little wasted here, but he does get some stand-out moments now and then, mixing in bits and pieces of The Philosophy of Thieving.
There's a point I want to make here, and, to do so, I have to ask a question. How in the name of Cecil B. DeMille did Will Patton get into this movie? Who among the Legions of Beelzebub is his agent, and just what sort of deal did he cut to get this stick pony a job? If you don't know Will Patton's work, I highly recommend you see some of his finer roles, such as Fled, The Postman, and, sadly, Armageddon. If you still don't know who I'm talking about, combine the acting skills of a turnip with the looks of a UPS truck. The guy's so bad that he's upstaged regularly by the dancing Jujube in the concession stand promo. And to make matters worse, the filmmakers have the audacity to give this piece of white toast the character name "Hector Cruz."
Despite this incredibly bad piece of casting, Entrapment is a pretty good film. Its story is somewhat predictable, and the "plot twists" are simpler to spot than curves on a Kansas highway. But redemption comes in the form of some neo-Bond attitude, a lingering lens over Miss Catherine's sexy form, and some well-executed stunts and theft scenes. It reminded me more than once of watching Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief, especially in the conversational flirting and tone. It's not in the same league as that great movie, but the echoes are there, for sure.
Look, in a couple of weeks, we're gonna be bombarded by everything Hollywood could pull out to throw at us. Let them slam and bang and explode. Entrapment is no miracle, but it is a better-than-average caper movie that'll definitely make you hold your breath a few times. In short, Sean charms and Catherine alarms. Everyone should have this good a time stealing.
Image copyright 20th Century Fox.
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in for observation